


Miranyth Cave

by WeeCoconutFlakes



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Adventure, Bandits & Outlaws, Canon Compliant, Cave, Fights, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-23
Updated: 2017-05-22
Packaged: 2018-10-22 23:38:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10707543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WeeCoconutFlakes/pseuds/WeeCoconutFlakes
Summary: Young drow cleric Rinn Chernin and her party mates take on a seemingly mundane quest for a small town's priest. Things soon take a turn for the more exciting, and truths are revealed. This story explores Rinn's character with a short but interesting adventure.





	1. Night in the Woods

After a long and exhausting day of traveling, the party set up camp at the foot of Miranyth mountain. As she finally got herself settled, Rinn let herself fall onto her bedroll. The young drow got up and opened up her rations, marveling at how enthused the rest of the party was. Of course, they were full grown adults. She often had to remind herself that she was no more than a child, even by their standards. She soon gave up trying to finish the entire ration, wrapping what was left up and returning it to her pack.

She couldn't remember the last time she was this tired. After her stint with that Calishite army, she was no stranger to long walks, but that was over a year ago, and the Calishites never had to run from a pack of owlbears. She wantingly eyed the bedroll, but forced herself to go through her nightly routine. Her time in the temple taught her to find safety in routine. As she felt her life was falling apart, structure kept her alive. As a result, she had a strict routine she'd follow in the mornings and nights. She said a quick prayer to Eldath, thanking her for the fortunes of the day, and acknowledged the other gods' hands in her life. Then she set to her diary. This book held the last two years of her life, meticulously recorded for her own sanity. The other ten lay buried with her father. As she sat down, she wrote:

_ Fifth of Eleint, 1490 DR _

> _ It was another interesting day today, this new Group seems to take on Quests as if their lives depended on it. The town we stopped in last night, Creshton, had a Temple, so I stopped by to see if they had anything dedicated to Eldath. The others came with me, they seem to think I can't take Care of Myself. Ah, well. The head Priest in the Temple came up to us. He was an old man, Human, by the looks of it. He was probably Eighty or so, then. He was bald, no more than Wisps of white hair around his head. He recognized us as Adventurers, and asked a Favour of us. There is a Festival coming up in the town, dedicated to Lathander. There is an Idol very important to this festival, he said, that was recently stolen by Bandits. He has Hired us to return it to its place, so they may perform their Rites. I must say, I've never heard of such a Festival, but perhaps it is a local practice. Surely, I am happy to be of Service to Lathander, as he is a good Friend of Lady Eldath. _
> 
> _ We set out nearly at once, walking many Miles to Mount Miranyth, the Hideout of these bandits. We encountered a Pack of Owlbears, which I'm not sure even arrange into packs. These were, anyway. We could not face them, so we had to run, and I nearly Fell Behind. I sometimes think the Others forget I am a Child. Though, sometimes, so do I. _
> 
> _ By nightfall, we reached the mountain. We set Camp, and now intend to rest until dawn, when we will set upon the Thieving Bandits in the cave. I thank Lady Elendath's watch over us, and pray it follows into the cave. These brash adventurers have a tendency to make my life more difficult with their Heroics, after which I must clean up. _

Having finished her entry, she closed the tome and sat down on her bedroll, closing her eyes and preparing for her trance. In a few hours she'd take up watch with whoever had the last shift, but the others wouldn't miss her if she took her much needed rest.

\---

They were surrounding her. She couldn't see them, but they were all around. She tried to ignore them, as she had every night, but they pressed in. Closer and closer, louder and louder; she couldn't think, she could hear them chanting, telling her to go back to the Underdark, taunting her for her faerie magic, threatening to shave her ears down to size. The cacophony rose to a crescendo, until it snapped into a new scene.

An old man, face framed with flowers, his still, pale face just under the surface of the water. Rinn could do nothing but stare at him. Her mind pleaded with him to open his eyes, to jolt above the surface and gasp for breath, but he only lay there. She had half a mind to join him, to slip under the water and let her breath fade, but his last words echoed through her head. She only sat and wept, the others, for once, silent.

Drums jolted her from her knees, as she was hoisted up by another soldier. A whistle through the air signaled the arrow that landed in his shoulder. He screamed and fell to the ground, grasping the wound and pulling. The arrow finally released from his shoulder, and blood gushed from the wound. Another slammed into the ground behind Rinn, its barbed tip narrowly missing her small frame. She searched through the smoke and flames for her missing satchel, and spotted it fallen a few yards away. She gathered herself and sprinted for it, seeking the bandages and ointments in its pockets. She finally reached the bag, but it fell into shadow. She looked up and saw a gruesome man, face twisted with hatred, wearing a seal she didn't recognize. He raised his sword to strike her, she saw the blade glint in the fire's light, swinging towards her…

\---

She jolted awake, the familiar nightmare ending the same way it always did. She stretched and took a drink of water, looking around. She looked up at the stars, guessing it had been about four hours since she went to sleep. Even if her mind was still tired, her body was fine, so she went to join whoever was on watch. As she glanced around, though, everyone else seemed to be asleep. She wondered who was meant to be awake at the moment, when her thoughts were interrupted by a rustling. She never would have caught it if it weren't for the season, but she listened harder and heard another crunch through the fallen leaves, followed by muffled cursing. Panic shot through her, as she realized the camp was under attack.

She went to her nearest companion trying to stealthily wake him up. Finally rousing from his sleep, the lithe man started to sit up, then froze; he too, heard the ambush. Rinn thanked the gods that Diath was the one she woke up. The rogue looked at her, and silently gestured for her to go wake Oda, as he went to gently rouse Urag. She agreed with this plan; the half-orc was best left to Diath's more experienced hand. The only way to fight against the ambush was with a surprise of their own.

As she silently crawled towards her halfling friend, Rinn realized that her haunting nightmare likely saved her life tonight. She shook her head and focused on the task at hand. When she reached the small bedroll she was crawling towards, she listened for the ambush, figuring the attackers to still be relatively far away. She began to shake Oda, clasping a hand to the woman's mouth as she began to complain. Her eyes shot open in protest, but when she saw the serious look in Rinn's eyes, she realized something was wrong. Rinn released her, and looked back to Diath, who had their giant partner up and ready to fight. In fact, the two were beaming in anticipation, as was Oda when she looked back. This was something the small elf was still struggling to understand. How was it that they relish danger? She frowned and focused the magic inside of her, praying to Eldath and readying her shield.

They sat there in silence for some time, darkness suddenly consuming the clearing as a cloud passed in front of the half-moon. Rinn wondered how the others would fight without being able to see, as she knew she was the only one with the gift of darkvision, and this worry apparently occurred to the others, whose' smiles fell as they squinted into the dark. Rinn realized she should take advantage of her ability, and got ready to quietly move behind a nearby tree. She hoped, when the ambush struck, she might be able to get behind their attackers, shifting the balance in her favor. Suddenly, she heard Diath's voice.

"Urag and I are going to hold in the center, and try to draw attention. You and Oda should keep out of the way: let her use her magic from over there, while you watch her back. Oh, and if they're getting the drop on us, let us know, please." Rinn nodded, more to herself than anyone else. She always forgot about Diath's message spell, and it took her by surprise. She relayed the plan to Oda, then moved to her tree.

Rinn kept a steadfast guard from the tree, and finally caught sight of her attackers. They were clearly as surprised as the party was about the darkness, which relieved her. She found a good spot to watch from and settled in, waiting to launch her own ambush. As she looked around, her spirits lifted to see that the rest of her party was just as well hidden, and probably more ready for the fight to come.

Her breath caught as a twig snapped right behind her. She slowly turned and saw a bandit only a few steps away. She stopped herself from screaming, and realized by his squinting eyes that he couldn't see her. She shakily drew a dagger, and tried to remember what Diath had taught her. Draw the dagger sharply across their their throat, so they can't cry out. She held the dagger tight. She was no stranger to death, but usually she was trying to prevent it. The few times she had killed were in self defense, or against animals so she could eat. Neither felt good.

She remembered why they were after these bandits in the first place. She gained a bit of strength at the thought of bringing justice to someone meaning to desecrate a holy festival. She took a deep breath, and crept toward the bandit. He'd probably done far worse crimes in his time, she thought to herself. Certainly he deserved no better fate. Diath had taught her to bring an enemy down to her level, quickly and smoothly. She let his training take over as she kicked out at his leg and gave his shirt a sharp tug, quickly plunging the dagger into his throat. She tore her eyes away from his as quickly as possible. He deserved this fate, and if she hadn't killed him, she'd be facing his sword. Or she'd be tangled in his net.

Net? Why did he have a net, she wondered. They're not exactly a common weapon to take to an ambush. The ambush! She whirled around in time to see the bandits steps away from Diath and Urag. In her distress, she forgot to keep watch for her friends. She berated herself, knowing it could have cost them their lives. She took a breath and focused on the bandits. She picked up a pebble, forming a plan. She waited until the bandits were nearly upon Diath and Urag, then sent the pebble at the closest bandit's head. She hoped Diath would know what to do. As it rapped against his head, the bandit winced and recoiled, cursing. As soon as the bandit revealed himself, Diath struck, grabbing him and slicing his throat; a perfect execution of the movements he had taught Rinn. The second bandit's sound of confusion led Diath to throw his dagger, perfectly lodging the blade in his throat. His kind demeanor often let Rinn forget how efficient of a killer her friend really was.

She supposed the same was true of all her friends. Urag was a silly goofball, until he was shattering someone's skull with that hammer of his. And Oda was a hell of a comedian, but she had a bit too much fun with her bolts of lighting for Rinn's taste.

As color returned to the scene, Rinn realized the clouds had once again parted. With a pang of fear, she realized that meant the bandits would be able to see. Everyone's hiding places were well suited to the sudden darkness, but wouldn't do too well under the bright moonlight. A crack shot through the air as Oda let loose a bolt of electricity into the chest of one of their attackers, who fell with a thud. Urag rushed at a group, swinging his hammer in a wide arc, shattering their ribs. Rinn winced, but was glad at her teammates' successes.

An arrow ripped through the trees and lodged itself in Oda's leg. She screamed and fell, blood starting to pool under her. Rinn's blood ran cold. She stole a glance around her and sprinted to her fallen friend's side. She called on Eldath's power, and the wound quickly closed. Rinn breathed a sigh of relief, then started to drag the unconscious girl to safety. She jumped as an arrow thudded against the shield on her back, and she quickened her pace. When she was sure Oda was safe, she turned and drew her sword and shield, watching the field for more wounds.

She saw at least ten bandits with a quick glance, one on the ground, holding a now muddy bow. The rest tried to surround the camp, wielding quarterstaffs. They all had bows on their backs and nets at their hips. There they were again! A huge crack in the air interrupted her thoughts again, and she whipped around to find the source. What she found was Urag in a daze, next to a bandit staring approvingly at a wand in his hand. In an instant, five of the bandits were upon Urag, beating him with their staffs. He tried to fight, but was soon overwhelmed. They left him and set their focus on Diath. Urag was still breathing, though, and Rinn thought these bandits were rather overconfident.

It suddenly hit her then. The nets. The staffs. The archer, knocked to the ground. Urag, left alive but unconscious. The bandits weren't trying to kill them. They were trying to capture them. Her head flooded with more questions: why not just kill them? Who wanted them alive? How were the bandits able to launch such an organized attack?

She shook the thoughts from her head. At the moment, it was important to stay focused. She gave her attention to her remaining companion. Diath shot her a worried look, then his eyes filled with panic as his eyes flicked above her. She turned in time to see the end of a staff racing towards her head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author: and there it is! The first chapter of my first story. This came about while I was teaching a friend to DM, the sample adventure we came up with ended up sounding really fun, and since we couldn't play it, I decided to write this. Throughout the story, I've done my best to stay true to the mechanics of DnD and make this story the sort of thing that could actually happen in a game. For those purposes, this is based in DnD's Fifth Edition, with no homebrew or anything of the sort. Rinn is my own character, Oda is based off of a (different) friend's character in progress, and Diath is loosely based off of ProJared's DnD character. Urag was made for this story, sorry, no fun background there. I'll keep using him though, and I'm going to roll him up a character sheet now. If you liked it, please share that, and if you didn't, let me know! This being the first story I've published in any caliber, I appreciate any feedback.


	2. Unbound

Groggily waking up, Rinn winced at the pain arcing through her head. She reached for her satchel, where she had a pocket of herbs to help. As she reached, she realized her hands were bound. Her eyes shot open as she remembered the events at the camp. She took a breath and took inventory of the situation. There was a hood covering her head, accounting for her inability to see. She was bound and gagged, and was pretty sure her pendant was missing. She had no idea how much time had passed since she went unconscious. Whoever was responsible knew their stuff: without her hands, voice or pendant, she couldn't use her magic. She felt the ground under her: smooth stone. She could hear the sound of fire to either side, either torches or fire pits, she figured.

Aside from her hands, nothing else was keeping her on the ground, so she attempted to stand. Suddenly, the wind was knocked from her, as the boot of a guard connected with her stomach. She groaned, but was glad to have more information. She was not alone, wherever she was.

She jumped, as Diath’s voice ran through her head. “Rinn. How much do you know about what's going on?” Rinn wondered how Diath managed to cast the spell, he must have been bound just like she was. “Right, you must still be gagged. I'm going to slide you my knife, do your best not to give us away.” She was comforted by Diath’s presence. If he had found a way out of his binds, he could get the rest of them out of here. She leaned back, as casually as possible, ready to catch the knife. She heard the knife scratch against the floor just before Diath slammed his boot against the ground to hide the noise. She felt the knife’s handle thud against her leg, and she awkwardly bent over to grab it. She heard footsteps. she must have been more overt than she meant. She stuffed the knife up her sleeve, the cool metal flat against her arm.

Finally, the footsteps receded, and the guards took their places again. They were stationed at the front of the room, it sounded. That explained how Diath was able to cut his binds without being noticed. And how Rinn was about to do the same. She sawed at the rope tied around her wrists, until there was a clean cut in the rough material. She hastily re-tied the rope, loosely, just as Diath had showed her, some time ago. It occurred to her that the rogue had a lot of suspicious knowledge. She pretended to believe that it was from escaping sticky situations like the one at hand, and left that at that.

Once her hands were free, she leaned back to disguise her hands as she loosened the knot of her gag. She was tempted to lift the hood to get a sense of her surroundings, but decided against it. She took the knife and slid it back the way it came. Diath’s voice sounded again.

“Quicker than I thought, you were learning well. Okay, I gather that we're in some sort of cave, the air is too fresh to be indoors, but we're in pretty deep, I can’t smell the outdoors at all.”

“Right,” Rinn responded, keeping her whisper quiet as possible, “the floors are too smooth to be natural, they must have dug it out. Two fires on either side, and I only hear two guards.”

“Sharp. As far as I can tell, Urag isn't here. Must have his own room, too strong for simple rope. Oda’s on my other side, but it looks like she's still out.”

“How are you getting all this, Diath?”

He chuckled. “When I came to, I noticed a corner of the hood was a bit threadbare. It took some doing, but I twisted around and managed to get a decent look at the room.” Of course he'd have that sort of luck, thought Rinn. She cast her eyes around the hood, but all her weaving was tight.

Rinn asked, “any idea where our stuff is?”

“There's a table at the front of the room, I think a lot of it’s laid out there.”

“Are you sure? That's pretty foolish of-” She was cut off by the sound of a door opening behind them. Chains rattled, then a large being dropped to the floor beside Rinn. There was a snap of fingers, and moments later, her hood was removed. She looked around the room. To her left, she could see Diath and Oda, who apparently had woken up at some point. To her right, Urag, chained and bruised. She wished she had her pendant, so she could cure his wounds. At the front of the room, a pair of torches, two guards, and the table Diath told her about. It was too tall for her to see what was on it, but she decided to trust that her things were on it. Diath had a knack for being right.

Also at the front of the room was a man, dressed in thick, dark leathers and with a greatsword strapped to his back. His hips wore hand axes, and daggers were strapped in various places around his body. The bottom half of his face was covered by a ragged bandana, but the top of his head was scarred and bald, his features sharp and angular. His eyes were cold and evil. He stared, studying each of the four before him, flicking his eyes from person to person. Then he began to laugh.

“These are the ones he sends me? I have no business with that old priest’s god, but I must say I feel sorry for him. Measly. Weak. I could kill you right now. But, lucky for you, I’m on a payroll.” His tone was calculated, every word meticulously chosen and enunciated. “Still, I can’t believe this is the group he chose. Look at you. A halfling who thinks she knows magic, a human who doesn’t know when he should give up, a half-breed with as much of a brain, and an Underdark child.” Rinn felt anger flare through her.

He gestured to the guard at the left of the room, commanding, “Vara, come with me, I have some business for you to tend to.” He turned to the group, and said, “You will pay for the blood you spilled. Those were my men, and I don’t take kindly to those who spoil my belongings.” With that, he turned and briskly left the room, his guard close behind.

Rinn looked at the remaining guard, trying to form a plan to escape. The door behind her was left open, and led into a hall that turned a few feet away from the opening. The room was chiseled out of rock, the floor worn smooth with use. She shuddered at the thought of what caused the many discolorations in the stone beneath her. She knew the guard could call for help in a second, so whatever they did, they'd have to be sneaky about it.

To her right, Urag was straining against his chains. She heard his grunts of effort, but one look at the chain showed that it was in vain. The metal of the chain barely bent. In his frustration, he started rattling the chain, angrily hoping something would give. The guard raised his staff and walked towards Urag, ready to strike. Silently, Diath rose as the guard turned his head to the half-orc. He raised his knife and plunged it into the neck of the guard, severing his spine. Without a sound, the man went limp, caught by Diath and propped gently in the corner.

Diath wiped his knife against the corpse’s clothing, then tossed it to Rinn, gesturing to Oda. Rinn stood and severed the rope at her friend’s wrists while Diath retrieved his lockpicks and knelt beside Urag. Rinn went to the door and quietly shut it, and turned to see Urag rubbing his wrists and ripping off his gag. Rinn ran to the table, relieved to see her pendant and satchel sitting safely on its surface. She put them both on, then grabbed her two blades, sliding them into place. She picked up Oda’s staff and brought it to her, helping the still aching halfling off the floor. She reached into the satchel and gave Oda an herb to help numb the pain in her head.

She then turned to Urag. She winced as she looked him over, pulling an ointment from her satchel, gently rubbing it into the worse of his wounds. He relaxed as his bruises were soothed, and the pain slowly faded from his body.

Once all four had retrieved their equipment, they turned to the door. Diath inched it open, then disappeared down the hall. Seconds later, he returned, gesturing for the others to follow. They went in a line, the same order as they had a thousand times before. Diath led the group, eyes flicking around the room, watching for threats. He was followed by Urag, ready to rush in and attack any problems that came the group’s way. Rinn and Oda took up the rear, Rinn keeping watch to the back while Oda held her staff ready.

The hallway led into another carved out room, where two bodies lay, throats slit, their fresh blood glistening in the torchlight. As they crept through the room, Rinn saw what Diath retrieved them for. A heavy wooden door was at the end of the room. She guessed it was barred from the other side, and Urag was needed to break it.

“Won't that attract attention, Diath?” asked Rinn.

“Do you see any ways out of this place?” he replied.

“No, but I have a plan.”

“By all means, please share.”

“The room we were in had those torches. I say we douse them and, while Urag takes the door down, the rest of us hide in the dark. Anyone sent to see what the noise was about will have to come through the hallway single file, like we did. They shouldn't be hard to deal with that way.”

“…why the hell didn’t I think of that! You're a genius, Rinn. I'll wait here with Urag. You two go put out those torches, and we'll lead any guards down that way.” Rinn and Oda left for the room down the hall, pulling the torches from the walls and stomping the light out. Rinn's vision faded to shades of grey as darkness hung over the scene. 

She had an idea, and asked Oda for a length of rope. She lugged one of the torch stands next to the door, instructing Oda to do the same with the other. She then wrapped the rope around the base of each stand, tying the ends into taught knots. Perfect. Now any guards will trip right onto their faces on their way into the room. She stepped over it and told Diath what she had done, so he and Urag wouldn’t fall victim to her trap. Then, she returned to her hiding spot beside the door, ready for whatever would come through the door.


	3. Bad Company

A crash echoed through the hall as Urag slammed his hammer through the door. It was followed by the plodding of his huge feet down the hall. He jumped into the doorway, making sure to clear the tripwire below him. He was quickly followed by a much quieter Diath, gracefully hopping over the rope and taking a position at the back of the room. Listening hard, Rinn heard footsteps, slowly coming closer. They suddenly stopped, and a curse was heard. Then they quickly made their way into the hallway, rushing towards the room the party was waiting in. Rinn watched as her plan worked perfectly: in the dark, this human couldn’t see the thick rope, and he ran right into it. She heard a crunch as he hit the floor, and winced; he probably broke his nose with that fall. Hearing him, Diath swept from his place, raising a dagger.  
“Diath, no!” Rinn said, running towards him.  
“What do you mean, no? This was the plan.” he responded.  
“Well… why don’t we interrogate him, first?”  
“This is why we keep you around Rinn.” Rinn smiled, and shut the door, barring it with the heavy stands. She then cast dancing lights, allowing everyone else to see what was going on. On the ground, the saw a terrified looking human, not much older than twenty, clutching his nose as blood dripped onto his thin armor. His eyes shot from adventurer to adventurer, and he shakily tried to scoot away, backing himself to the wall.  
“Where’s the idol?” Diath barked, trying to intimidate the young man. “You stole it from the priest, where is it now?”  
“I-idol? There’s no idol, the only thing we were supposed to get was you four!” he responded, brows furrowed.  
Diath turned to the rest of the group. “He’s either lying, or wasn’t told.”  
Oda replied to him, “That idol is a high-value thing, they’d all be in on protecting it.”  
Diath turned back. “Still trying to fulfill orders?” He pulled out a dagger, flipping it from hand to hand. “The sooner you talk, the less painful this will be.” Rinn looked at the dagger, glinting in her light, and then to the young man on the floor, terrified and confused. She looked away, remembering what Diath said. “When we do something, it’s always for the right thing. But getting that done isn’t always pretty.” She tried to think of something else, she couldn't stomach what she knew was about to happen. She thought about the bald bandit, the leader, it seemed. Something was puzzling her about the way he spoke. He kept talking about how she and the others were who “he sent.” Then she realized.  
“Diath, don’t!” she yelled to him. He turned to her, dagger inches from the bandit’s face.  
“Rinn, I know you don’t like this, but it has to be-”  
“No, Diath, I think he’s telling the truth. There’s no idol, at least not here.”  
“What the hell are you talking about, Rinn, why else are we here?”  
“Remember what that guy kept saying, talking about who ‘he sent?’”  
“Yes, he was talking about the priest, I figured, who else could he be talking about?”  
“Not who else, why else. We thought that he meant that the priest sent us to retrieve the idol, like he was expecting resistance. But doesn’t this seem odd? I mean, why are we alive? They could have killed us at the camp, and it would all be over. Why were they trying to take us alive, Diath? Why did they have such an organized ambush? This must be a trap, and the priest’s idol was the bait, right?”  
Diath stared at her, and dropped his dagger. “I suppose there are a lot of loose ends here… but why would the priest lead us into a trap? You said he worshiped a good god, right?”  
“Lathander, the god of birth and renewal. Lathander is good, but some of his followers are… extremists. They’re so rare, and they’re usually shunned. I didn’t figure it would be possible for the head priest of such a populous town to be one, but…”  
“What did he want with us, then, Rinn?”  
“Sacrifice. Extremists like him think that the death of strong souls leads to the birth of new ones, a cyclical thing. They think of it as a gift to Lathander. The point is, you don’t need to hurt him.” She stepped to the guard and knelt beside him. “What is your name?”  
“My name?” he replied. “M-maven… why do you want to know?”  
“Maven. You’re new here, aren’t you?”  
“I suppose. It’s been about a week… why are you asking me all this?”  
She grabbed her pendant, and showed it to him. “Do you know what this is?”  
“Y-yes. It’s the sign of one of the gods, isn’t it? El-something.”  
“Eldath. I serve her. You’ve seen terrible things here, haven’t you? Maybe even done terrible things.”  
He stared at her for a time, then shut his eyes and nodded.  
“Maven, I can see that you are not evil. You’re sword is still at your side, and you do not strike. It is not too late to return to grace. Help us now, Maven, tell us how to leave and then leave these bandits. There is nothing but despair for you here.”  
Maven’s eyes were wet with tears, as he nodded, nervously stroking Rinn’s pendant with his thumb. He began to tell her the layout of the caverns.  
\---  
Diath saw Rinn go to the bandit’s side. He heard her speak to him, saw him respond. None of it registered with him, though. He was reeling, hearing what she had said, over and over in her head. “You don’t need to hurt him” she had said. “You don’t need to hurt him.” It echoed over and over. He was going to. He stared at the dagger on the ground, the dagger that was seconds away from having this man’s blood coating it. No, not a man. Diath looked at the bandit, he was just a kid. A scared and confused kid who nearly had a blade slice through him because of Diath’s carelessness.  
How did he miss it? The way the chief bandit talked, that should have been obvious. He wasn’t trying to hide anything, Diath just didn’t look for it. And this kid nearly paid for it. The priest had played them all, and Diath was the best fiddle of the bunch. He heard Rinn’s voice again. “Diath,” it said. “Diath?”  
\---  
“Diath, are you okay?” Rinn asked, her friend seemingly miles away. She shook his arm, and he blinked, a confused look on his face. “Diath?” He shook his head.  
“Yes, Rinn?”  
“I know what we have to do; are you okay though?”  
“...yeah. I’m fine, what’s the plan?”  
“Diath, come down here.” He looked at her, then sat down, cross-legged. She brought one of her lights closer, illuminating his face with the dim energy. She looked closely into his eyes, inspecting them, looking for anything out of sorts. He looked back, not trying to hide anything, letting his eyes speak for him. All of his guilt bled through his dark eyes. Her cloudy eyes bore into him, but he found refuge in them. They were soft eyes, that understood.  
She saw the guilt in his eyes. She looked at Maven, at the discarded blade next to him. She felt a pang of sadness for her friend as she put it together. She embraced him, holding him close and telling him that it was okay. “Diath, you were doing what you needed to do. You stopped when you had to, you’re okay. He’s okay.” She reached into her satchel, pulling out a bundle of petals and holding them near his nose. He inhaled, and let the sweet scent of the flowers replace the guilt inside of him, forgiving himself. For as much as he taught Rinn, she taught him more. With a deep exhale, he stood, retrieving his dagger and helping Maven to his feet.  
“You’re probably being missed. Go back to them, tell them all is well. Someone fell, knocked over a stand.” He nodded back, and rushed out the door. Rinn brought her close to her, and turned to face all the others.  
“This cave is the one in Miranyth, our camp is still at the foot of the mountain. It’s been a few hours since we were captured, dawn should be breaking soon. At dawn, the guards around the mountain come inside, so the strength of the guard inside is greater during the day. We should get out before dawn. The cave was dug out as a maze, to confuse any outsiders, but since we’re at the end, it’s a relatively obvious route out. Maven told me which path to take, so I’ll lead. We need to stop Keamyar, that’s the chief who was taunting us earlier. If we’re quiet, we should be able to get the drop on him.” Urag raised his hand, accidentally hitting the ceiling.  
“Shouldn’t we get the idol for the priest man?” he asked  
“Urag, there is no idol. The priest was lying. He was trying to trick us.”  
Oda piped up, “Just wait until I get my hands on that badger-eating bugbear…”  
Rinn looked at each of the other three. “Are you all ready? We’ll need to move quickly and be efficient.” They all gave sounds of approval, and even Diath was in good spirits, seeing the team ready to tackle another challenge. Rinn smiled, and turned to leave, waiting until the others had followed her out of the room before extinguishing her lights.


	4. Keg Stand

Rinn led the party through a twisting set of caverns and corridors. Behind them, dozens of doors led to dead-ends and deathtraps, but Rinn kept straight ahead, the path forking only a few times, which she navigated with ease. Finally, the group came to a large open room. Maven warned Rinn about this, and she could see there was no way around it.  
“The commons,” she told the others. “The closest thing to relaxation these people have.” Below them, dozens of bandits lounged, relaxing after the long guard shift. The coming of dawn meant they could relax and gather, before sleeping through the day. Rinn puzzled at how they would make it through the room, the door they needed to get to on the opposite side of the room. Where they lay now was a natural outcropping looking over the massive cavern. This was a section of the cave not carved by bandits, but by time. Jagged stalactites hung from the roof of the commons, while much of the floor was worn smooth by use, large pillars rose at some points of the floor, towering over the people within.   
Oda grabbed Rinn’s shoulder. “I know you want to do this quietly, love, but I think this is room going to need some force to it, do you think?” Rinn nodded. This wasn't something they could sneak through. It was a wide open room nearly all the way through. With a distraction though, it was a pretty straight shot to the door.   
“Urag, do you still have those powder kegs from that dwarf village?” Rinn asked.  
“Yep, right here, safe from rain, fire, and explodey things, like you said.” he said, patting his pack.  
“Diath, how much do you know about explosives?” Rinn asked.  
“Not much. Too loud for my liking. Not my style.”  
“I know tonnes!” Oda chimed. “What do you need?”  
“How many of these would we need to drop, say, five of those stalactites up there?”  
“Hmm…” replied Oda, inspecting the small kegs. She picked one up, getting a sense of the weight, then looked at the stalactites. “In the right spots… four. We need a fuse, though. And some way of getting them up there. Think the bandits’ll lend us a ladder?” Rinn looked at the six kegs they had. She looked to Urag, who smiled, dangling a thin string from his massive hand.  
“Dwarves gave it to us with the kegs. Said it would make the boom.”  
Oda’s face lit up, “Why, that was awfully nice of them!” She snatched the fuse, and knelt next to the kegs. “You want them all to go off at the same time, right Pointy?”  
Rinn rolled her eyes at Oda’s nickname. “Yes, please. Now, how to place them?”  
Diath pulled out a sparkling crystal. “I think I can help with that,” he said, casting an illusory hand.  
“The mage's hand, De’s got his head on,” Oda said, standing from her finished fuse knot. “Now, if you grab them by the center there, they should hold.” Rinn smiled at the way her plan came together, but then she had a confused look on her face. “How are we going to light it, Oda?” Oda chuckled, and raised her staff.  
“A small bolt of fire should be more than enough to get those fuses going. That's a tricky knot, by the way, you should give me some credit for this. Alright, Sticky Fingers, you’re ready to go. Take that knot and put these babies to the ceiling. I’ll take it from there!”  
Diath concentrated on his mage hand, taking the kegs towards the ceiling.  
“Not quite,” Oda instructed, “more left… little more… no, no too far, love… stop! Right there! Bring it up, hold it up there. Now for a little…” she raised her staff, took careful aim, and launched a bolt of fire at the center of the fuse, the lines sparking and burning their way down the kegs. A large boom shook the cavern, and the commons went quiet. Bandits drew swords and staffs, looking around for the source of the explosion.  
Meanwhile, the party had moved to the bottom of the outcropping, hiding behind one of the pillars reaching towards the natural ceiling. Dust fell from the ceiling, and cracks sped through the stalactites. Suddenly, several cracks shot through the cave, and the massive rocks fell through the air. The bandits yelled out, scrambling out of the way of the crumbling rocks. Diath led the dash for the door, slipping through the chaos undiscovered.  
Oda looked back, smiling at her handiwork. Her smile fell into slight worry. “I may have slightly underestimated those kegs.”  
“Oda, what do you mean by that?” Rinn asked.  
Oda pointed, and Rinn saw the cracks still snaking through the ceiling. Her eyes widened as she realized the room was about to cave in. When they finally reached the stone door, Diath pushed his way through, only to be rebounded by the locked door.  
“Problem!” he yelled.  
“Urag smash it down!” Oda responded  
“Rock is too hard!” He replied, panicked  
“Okay, calm down, I’ll get it,” Diath said, pulling a pick from his sleeve. As he worked at the door, the four attracted attention from the room’s other occupants. They turned, not realizing the oncoming cave-in. Waving weapons and drawing bows, the bandits began to attack. Rinn lifted her shield and Urag readied his hammer, staring down the approaching bandits. Oda launched a fireball into the center of the mass of bandits, which blew up and sent bandits flying through the room. In the back, Rinn could see the more observant and less eager bandits making there way to the other exits of the room, leaving only the more dedicated of their enemies in the room. Even then, she counted at least a dozen bandits advancing towards her.  
As they grew closer, the dust in the room grew thicker. More and larger chunks of rock plummeted from the ceiling. One huge rock narrowly missed the group, hitting the ground with a loud crash. The sound left a ringing in Rinn’s ears, and her vision blurred. She could make out, through the confusion, Urag hefting the boulder up and throwing it at the bandits. Several were crushed by the heavy rock, but more lept out of the way, continuing to advance. Rinn clambered to her feet, drawing her sword and lifting her shield, doing all she could to clear her head. A bandit neared her, and she thoughtlessly stabbed through his chest. The only thought on her mind now was survival.  
Sweat beaded down Diath’s brow, dust falling and rocks crashing against the ground. He shook his head and regained his focus, listening close and feeling the lock. He ignored the chaos surrounding him, trusting the rough circle of people around him to keep him safe while he deftly moved his picks. Finally he heard the click he was praying for. He turned the knob and shoved his shoulder through the door. He grabbed Rinn and Oda by the collar, hoisting them into the room. He called out to Urag, who leaped through the door behind him, narrowly missing the massive chunk of stone that came down, barring the doorway.


	5. Respite

As the dust settled in the small room, the party took deep breaths. They looked around at each other, at the blocked doorway. Then, ringing through the room was laughter. Diath started, and soon, even Rinn was laughing with the room, even if she had no idea why. The relief was palpable, and something about their incredible survival was hilarious. The only other exit to the room was a barred stone door.  
“Well, this seems good a place as any other to take a quick rest,” Diath said. “I doubt the night’s guard don't know about us now. We can do with a rest.” Everyone else nodded in agreement, and soon a small fire had been erected. Rinn went from person to person, tending wounds while Urag passed around rations. Sitting around the warm fire, looking at her merry friends, Rinn realized she was thankful. Over the last few hours, she had been knocked out, cut, bruised, bound and nearly crushed, and yet she was happy to be where she was.  
When everyone was tended to, and had eaten their fill, Diath stood. Dusting himself off, he walked to the door and pressed his ear against its cool surface. Hearing nothing, he quietly moved the bar, and cracked the door open. Rinn crept next to him, and saw a short hallway. There was a doorway on either side, she could see flickering candlelight pour into the room from them. Dead ahead was a heavy door with an ornate crest. The base of the crest bore an inscription in flowing elvish lettering.  
“What does it say, Rinn?” Diath asked her.  
“Take and hold. Kwarluethil,” She replied, squinting to see the small text.  
“Kwarluethil? I've heard that name.”  
“Who are they?”  
“Elvish kings, if I remember. Something like that. They went out of power probably thirty years ago now, I was just a kid when they were around.”  
Oda joined them. “The Kwarluethils? That's bad news.”  
“I thought they were well respected,” Diath said inquisitively.  
“They were, it was a bloodless rebellion, more political than anything. Kind of boring if you ask me. But when they came out of power, they didn't all take it well. The prince especially wasn't happy. I heard he tracked down the leader of the rebellion, killed her himself. Word is, it wasn't a quick one either.”  
“Do these rumours say anything of where he is now?”  
“No, he just disappeared and… you don't think?”  
Rinn was silent as Diath said what was on her mind. “He's right behind that door.”  
Oda clapped her hands in excitement, “This is brilliant! The Kwarluethil prince is one of the biggest unsolved mysteries in the last century! And here we are solving it! Plus, I hear there’s a huge price on his head. What with the murders and all.”  
“We need to do this, but he needs to see justice,” Rinn said. “We should take him alive. He's been wreaking havoc for the last thirty years you said? He's an affront to Lady Eldath. He could have stepped down peacefully, blood didn't have to be spilled.” She felt Eldath’s magic course through her with her conviction. “We need to take him.”  
“Well,” said Diath, “I'm all for bringing him to justice, and I won't shy away from the bounty. We've still got rope, and royalty or no, a sharp rap on the skull should keep him from complaining.” He smiled, ready as ever for the next adventure. “Let’s capture us a prince.”


	6. Prince of Peril

They crept slowly down the hall, until they reached the first doorway, on the left. Diath peered around the corner, and quickly whipped his head back. He motioned for everyone to stay where they were. He silently turned the corner, and Rinn leaned over to see what he was doing. She saw a woman sitting at a desk, intently focussed on what appeared to be a ledger of some sort. Her scratching quill masked Diath’s approach as he drew a dagger to her throat. As she felt the cool blade, her eyes widened. She dropped her quill and lowered her arms.   
“What do you think you're doing?” She asked, staying completely still.  
“Solving a problem. Can't have you bringing anything up behind us. Now, give me a reason I shouldn’t kill you now.”  
“Maybe this is of interest to you?” Vara slowly opened a drawer and pulled out a sheaf of paper. Diath looked at it inquisitively, and took it with his free hand. Much of the documentation was in Elvish, so he gestured Rinn into the room.  
“What are these, Rinn?” He asked, pulling his focus back to his captive.   
Rinn leafed through the papers, skimming the documents as her eyes widened. Before her was… everything. The thick stack of papers appeared to be every document relevant to the activities of the lost prince since the rebellion. Deeds, journals, ledgers, contracts, there was years of history in this thick sheaf of paper.  
“Years and years of history. No one could deny what he’s been up to with these. Look here, this is from before the monarchy fell.”  
“It all connects?”  
Oda stuck her head in. “You mean to tell me we not only found the missing prince of the Kwarluethils, but we have a stack of papers to tell us what he’s been up to? This is great! Remind me to thank the prince before we capture him.”  
Diath wasn’t so cheerful. “That didn’t take much convincing. What made you betray him so quickly?”  
Vara smirked. “Only taking lessons from him. Why stick my neck out when there’s so much more to gain? I’m the second around here, if he goes down, I get the crown, so to speak.”  
“Is she rhyming? Does this bandit speak in rhyme?” Oda sighed.  
“So, tell me what comes next,” said Vara, ignoring Oda. “Now you hit me with the back of that knife, knock me out, then take him, right? Do it already, then.” Diath looked at Rinn, who shrugged, and gestured to him. Diath took this as a go ahead, and raised his dagger, then brought its base to Vara’s head, knocking her out with a sharp rap. Her eyes shut and she went limp. He left her in the chair, and turned to the others, who were standing and waiting for him.  
“Nowhere else to go now, right? Let’s finish this.” Rinn, Oda and Urag smiled, and turned to the heavy door with its elaborate crest. As Diath knelt down to loose the lock, Rinn glanced back to see if anything had changed. As soon as she did, she heard a click and the door swung open. She smiled. Diath had his confidence back. They’d need it if this were to work. She crept in after the others, and was surprised at the contents of the room.  
To the right and the left lay chairs, and ahead was a huge cage, with a desk, a comfortable looking chair, and a large bookshelf. This cage had one door, which was wide open. Everyone shared a confused look, and Diath crept ahead. He took careful steps into the cage, and checked for traps. When he was satisfied, he waved the others over. Suddenly, the door crashed shut, and locked with an audible click.  
Diath shot up and ran to the door, but he was too late. Urag grabbed the door and tried to pry it open, a palpable look of fear on his face. Rinn’s mind was racing for a solution when she felt rough hands grab her, painfully crushing her small arms. Darting her vision to the side, she saw Oda had the same thing happen to her, her staff having been knocked to the ground. The halfling was kicking and writhing, but it was no use. Urag had been tackled by a huge hooded figure, a full head taller than the half-orc. Inside the cage, the bookcase had slid to the side, revealing a smug elf, his mask removed to reveal an evil grin.  
Diath snarled in his direction. “The missing prince of Kwarluethil. This is where you’ve been?”  
The elf gave a haughty laugh. “So you figured it out. Yes, I am Keamyar Kwarluethil, the ‘missing prince.’ And now, you will have the supreme honor of dying by my hands.”  
Oda spat at him. “Are you serious? You couldn’t be more bloody predictable! The laugh, the arrogance, could you be more of an archetype? More like ‘forgotton prince!’ We only know your name because your father was a great king!”  
Keamyar gave a deathly glare at her. “When I’m through with the human, I want the halfling. But first, I want her to watch this.” He drew a rapier, and pointed the blade at Diath. “I’m giving you a chance, theif. Raise your sword.” Diath regarded him suspiciously, and unsheathed his own rapier. His lips started moving, but Rinn heard nothing. After a short moment, he rose his head.  
“A prayer won’t help you now, theif,” Keamyar said as he swung his rapier. Diath’s sword met Keamyar’s in a loud clash. Both started moving, Keamyar elegantly, Diath adeptly. Diath’s precise strikes were gracefully parried by the elven prince. His apparently disinterested moves concerned Rinn, until she saw the sweat beading on his brow. She smiled as she saw his composure break with every swing. Both combatants’ feet moved in a blur. It seemed like an elaborate dance, with both making perfect response to every move made by his opponent. Keamyar took a swing for Diath’s exposed right, to which Diath quickly parried and stepped forward. Diath then took a sharp stab, aiming for Keamyar’s chest. The elf drew his sword close and deflected the blow. Rinn watched intently, keeping a close eye on Diath. She found herself mesmerized by their movements, the flashing steel and blur of movement.  
Diath twisted his body and grabbed a dagger, throwing it towards the guard holding Rinn. It slipped through the tight bars of the cage, and lodged itself in the guards head. He went limp, and Rinn quickly pulled out her sword, stabbing to her left. She tried to stifle a short pang of regret as her sword found itself in between the ribs of Oda’s guard. Oda lithely scooped up her staff, and turned it towards Urag’s guard, who dropped him and rushed at the small witch. A blast from her staff knocked him off balance, and Urag’s hammer smashed into his skull. All three guards were dead.  
Rinn noticed that the sound of steel clashing had subsided, and she turned to the cage. She saw Keamyar with a deadly grin standing over Diath, doubled over and blood pooling under him. Rinn was confused at Keamyar’s clean sword, devoid of bloodstains, until Keamyar hoisted her friend by his collar. There was intense pain on Diath’s face, and he was clutching a dagger buried in his gut.  
Keamyar gave a chilling laugh. “Bravo, fair adventurers. You are free. But your friend here, he’s still trapped in this cage with me.” He reached down and ripped the dagger from Diath’s abdomen. Blood spurted from his wound as Keamyar dropped him to the stone floor.  
Urag yelled, and sent a strong blow from his hammer at the door of the cage, but it bounced off as if the hammer was air. Oda screamed as she let off a bolt of fire at Keamyar, which disappeared as it touched the bars.  
Again, Keamyar let out his chilling laugh. “Master dwarves wrought this cage, no one without a key will ever break through. And elves, centuries older than you enchanted it so that no magic can ever penetrate it. He’s trapped, and there’s nothing you can do but watch.”  
Rinn watched her dying friend through wet eyes, and suddenly knew what to do. She stared at Diath, still clutching his wound, and muttered under her breath. She watched him, and saw his eyes snap open. He looked at her, and she turned. She pulled the dagger from the corpse behind her and slid it towards him. It clattered across the ground and caught on the bars of the cage. She felt a pang of fear grip her, but Diath reached under the bar and grabbed the dagger by the blade, twisting and sending it, spinning, at the suddenly less confident face of the elf above him.   
Time seemed to barely move as it spun towards him. The glint of the blade shone as it revolved, and the handle of the dagger crashed against Keamyar’s head. His eyes rolled back as he fell, landing headfirst into the bookshelf behind him. The final blow robbed him of the last of his consciousness, and he lay sprawled out on the cold floor. Diath stood, his blood-soaked armor no longer dripping. He checked over Keamyar’s body, making sure he was out and relieving him of his weapons. He turned to the others and smiled, pulling a silver key from the prince’s pocket and unlocking the door.  
“Take your time with that healing word, why don’t you?” he teased.  
Oda jabbed him with her elbow, “She couldn’t well heal you ‘till princey though he won, could she? And anyway, you should be thankin’ her for your life, you ostrich?”  
“Yeah, yeah Oda, I was getting to it. Thanks, Rinn. That was good thinking, with the dagger.”  
Rinn smiled. “Next time, I’ll actually get it through the bars.”  
Diath ruffled her hair. “You were closer than I thought you’d be able to, that was remarkable.” He turned to Urag, who was wiping his eyes. As soon as he saw he had Diath’s attention, he picked him up in a strong hug. He set Diath down before he caused any more damage, and went to pick up the unconcious Keamyar in the cage.  
They bound Keamyar’s limbs and prepared to leave, the bookcase’s passage leading to the mouth of the cave. They all made it into the small passage when they heard the sounds of a huge battle at the end of the tunnel.


	7. Divine Intervention

The four nervously glanced amongst themselves, before pressing on. At the end of the tunnel, everyone could see that dawn had broken, sunlight playing through the narrow mouth of the cave. The tunnel opened above a wide open area, like the commons before. From above, they could see dozens of bandits charging into battle. The sun reflected off of the armor of their targets, thirteen paladins, wearing a symbol with a set of scales balancing on a hammer.  
Rinn gasped, and the others turned to her. “Paladins of Tyr,” she breathed out, eyes wide. They turned back to the battle at hand, and saw the paladins decimating the bandit horde. They smiled and watched the impressive warriors at work. The bandit’s attacks glanced off the shining armor as they brought swords swinging through the crowd, bringing down swaths of bandits with a single blow.  
Rinn was admiring their ability when her attention was suddenly brought to an outcropping above the tunnel’s mouth. There she saw four bandits, readying a trap! Long lines of rope hung across the roof, and they were tying barrels to it. Whatever was in those barrels, she was sure it wasn’t good. She caught the others’ attention and pointed out the bandits. Without a word, Diath nocked an arrow in his bow and let it fly across the cave. It flew into the leg of a bandit, who cried out and fell to the ground far below. The others jumped in surprise, and started to search for the source of the arrow.

\---

Pacai was confused to all hell. One second, he was setting up a trap to get a dent on the paladins below. The next second, his friend had an arrow in his knee and went tumbling off the side. He grabbed his own bow, and looked around, trying to find where the arrow came from. As soon as he had an idea of where to shoot, another arrow came off from his right and took out another of his friends. Now he was really panicking. Frantically, he searched the shadowy walls of the cavern. Another arrow spit out of the wall, and this time, he saw where it came from. He watched its trajectory end in Stath’s neck. That was fine with him, Stath couldn’t die quickly enough as far as Pacai was concerned. He smiled as he nocked an arrow and turned to the source of the arrows. As he took his aim, he was suddenly greeted with a ball of fire flying straight towards him.

\---

“Perfect shot!” Oda said gleefully, pulling back her staff.  
Diath shook his head, “Sure, but now we have some attention.”  
Below, bandits had turned to the mouth of their tunnel, and a group had begun climbing up towards them. Diath pulled rope from his back, and tied it around a thick stalagmite on the edge of the path.  
“We can’t well fight up here. Down the rope, ladies first, let’s go.” Oda pranced to the rope and took hold, sliding her way down with a broad smile on her face. Rinn followed her quickly, the bandits fast approaching. As she hit the ground, she glanced up to see Urag’s massive body sliding towards her. She scrambled out of the way to see Oda taking shots at the bandits with her staff. Urag crashed to the ground behind her, and as he got up, she saw Diath sliding his way toward the ground, lithely landing on his feet. He gave the rope a sharp tug, and the knot at the top came undone.  
“Watch out,” cried Rinn, as a bandit fell towards them. He’d been trying to follow them down the rope when it came undone, and his momentum led him screaming over the edge. With a sickening splat, he landed on a ragged stalagmite. He gasped for air as Rinn turned away. Diath, with a pained expression, stabbed through his neck, letting him go quickly. He took a deep breath, then focused on the situation at hand. The bandits who hadn’t chased them up the path were focused on the paladins ripping their way through the crowd. The bandits were getting smarter though, and the paladins were beginning to be overwhelmed.  
“They need help!” Urag exclaimed, ready to jump in at any time.  
“Let’s give it to them then,” Diath said. “Oda, throw them whatever you’ve got, Urag, lead the charge and I’ll clean up behind you. Rinn, watch our backs and take care of any stragglers. This is no different than any other battle and we’ve got thirteen paladins on our side, let’s do it!” With that, he leapt over the natural wall dividing them from the fight, and Urag followed, overtaking him and charging. Oda let off an explosive fireball, sending bandits sliding across the worn floor.  
As Urag plowed through the crowd, Diath danced behind him, stabbing and swinging anyone trying to flank Urag. Oda laughed gleefully as she sent one lightning bolt after another into the crowd, watching them arc through the bandits. Rinn watched the bandits fall one by one as the paladins’ shining swords swung through their frail armor.  
Suddenly, a crack rang through the air. Everyone froze as they stared at the source, where slowly the sounds of horns were heard. A deep, reverberating sound bounced around the cave, growing to a deafening roar, as hundreds of soldiers marched up the mountain side. Huge fluttering banners bearing the symbol of Tyr. The army seemed to stretch on forever, stepping in near-perfect unison.  
One by one, the bandits dropped their weapons in surrender. First, the more cowardly of them quickly threw out their weapons. The second wave of surrender came when the braver bandits realized the numbers against them, dropping their weapons carelessly and knitting their hands behind their heads. The final few who were ready to fight knew it was even more hopeless without the help of their compatriots, and reluctantly hurled their blades at the ground, hoping to break them in a sign of continued resistance.  
The apparent leader of the paladins strode to the head of the army. He removed his helmet, revealing dark skin and shining teeth. He laughed, saying “We thought you’d never get here!” His voice was melodious, and rang confidently through the cave. He turned, and stepped around the waiting bandits, towards the four at the back of the cave. “I saw what the four of you did. You saved our necks out there, those barrels, I don’t even want to know what’s in them.”  
Rinn perked up, realizing something. “I know you…” she wondered aloud. “The temple!” she exclaimed to him. “You were working in the temple of Lanthander! What are you doing in Tyr’s armor?”  
He smiled. “Sharp one. I am Mennorth Mannul, and yes, I was in Lathander’s temple, but in service for Tyr. We have suspected for some time that sect was twisting Lord Lathander’s wishes, and your intended sacrifice gave me the ability to send Tyr’s army after both these bandits and the false priests. I should thank you. It could have taken many more months to find evidence enough for an attack of this scale.”  
Diath interjected, “So what will you do now?”  
“We will sweep the rest of the cave, round up any more bandits, and take them to a place where they can be appropriately punished for their misdeeds.”  
“But Creshton is such a small town, why would you spend so much time there?”  
“Why, no injustice is too sm--”  
Oda interrupted him. “Oi, that’s a cop-out, what’s the real reason?”  
Mennorth blinked, surprised at Oda. “Very well, the reason is that Creshton was the epicenter of a large, spreading trend. That old man who sent you here was starting a massive, evil movement, twisting Lathander’s words and corrupting the very earth we stand on.”  
“So it’s not the massive bounty on Keamyar Kwarluethil?”  
“Kwarluethil? Isn’t that some old legend.”  
“Yeah, sure. Well, we’ve got a prisoner, we’re going to take him too, yeah?”  
“I’m… uncomfortable, where will you send him?”  
Rinn stepped in, “Our prisoner is an elven criminal, and he has been wanted for several centuries now. We’re taking him to his old home, to be put on trial by his own laws.”  
“Now that sets me at ease. You serve Eldath, young one?” Mennorth said, noting Rinn’s pendant  
Rinn smiled, “Yes, for my whole life.”  
“Well, I count you among my friends, then. Until we meet again.” He straightened up, addressing the whole party. “You all are always welcome in the realm of Tyr, let his justice guide you, and Lady Eldath’s peace find you,” he said, nodding to Rinn. With that, he turned away, helping to corral the bandits for the long journey ahead.  
Diath turned to Urag, who was beaming at the pleasant conversation. Diath tapped him, and asked, “So, Urag, where’s Kwarluethil?”  
Urag’s eyes bolted open, and he looked up the wall they had slid down. Diath sighed, and jogged over to the path up. Rinn followed him close behind, and at the top, he was still laying on the ground just inside the tunnel. By now, though, he had awoken, and was furiously thrashing to try to escape his binds. Diath shook his head, and hoisted the prince up.  
“That’s not going to do you any good. Come quietly, and you can be awake for the trip.” The prince gave him a deathly glare, relaxing and complying with Diath. With a sharp tug, his feet were unbound, so that he could walk. “Let’s go, Rinn. I bet we can catch a ride with this army.” Rinn followed Diath again, down the path and joining everyone else. Oda was already pestering Mennorth for a ride, and he was happily obliging her. She pranced back with a wide smile.  
“We get our own cart, he’ll ride with the rest of the bandits, and then we can go wherever with the army. I can’t wait to not walk for a few days!”  
Over the next hour, the cave was scoured and preparations for the journey were made. The party made themselves comfortable in their cart. They rode for hours, and as night fell, the army stopped, making camp for the night. As everyone set down for the night, Rinn pulled out a candle and her pen, and got back to her uninterrupted nightly routine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy fuck it's finally done. This story has been the majority of my life for the last month or so, I hope it's been enjoyable. Not too much to say, I just hope you've enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to the next one.


End file.
